Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 1 Apr 2003

Vol. 564 No. 1

Written Answers - Water Conservation.

Trevor Sargent

Question:

294 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the position of Ireland in the index of countries based on hydro-criteria announced at the World Water Council at Marseilles, France, in terms of efficiency of use; and the way in which Ireland needs to become more efficient. [8800/03]

Minister for the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Cullen)

The water poverty index published in December 2002 by the World Water Council grades 147 countries by reference to five separate water-related criteria to illustrate where the best and worst water situations exist. The five measurements are resources, access, capacity, use and environmental impact. The composite water poverty index places Ireland in overall eighth position in the league of water-rich countries.

Ireland is placed second in relation to "capacity", which reflects a country's level of ability to purchase, manage and lobby for improved water, education and health. We are placed sixteenth in relation to "environmental impact", which reflects ecological sustainability and takes into account issues such as water quality, environmental strategies and regulation and numbers of endangered species. Ireland is 22nd in relation to "access", which reflects a country's ability to access water for drinking, industry and agricultural use, 46th in relation to "resources", which reflects theper capita volume of surface and groundwater resources that can be drawn upon and 66th position in relation to “use of water”, which is stated to reflect how efficiently a country uses water for domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes. The last-mentioned measure, relating to use, appears to reflect the economic efficiency of water use which is the amount of water used in comparison with the income generated by that use. The data available to my Department does not indicate breakdown of economic efficiency by sector, however, as water resources are abundant here, such a measure of economic efficiency has less significance than, for example, environmental sustainability.

The United Nations world water development report Water for People Water for Life was published in Paris on 5 March 2003 and was accompanied by two tables ranking countries according to water availability per person per year, in which Ireland is ranked 57th out of 180 countries, and water quality indicator values, in which Ireland is ranked 17th out of 122 countries. An economic analysis of water use will be carried out and completed by end 2004 in the context of the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. The economic analysis will inform the further development of water policy generally and will support the application of the "polluter pays" principle in water services provision.